ADAMANA Ariz. — One locomotive and 21 cars of a BNSF Railway train derailed this morning in eastern Arizona, KNXV-TV reports. No injuries were reported and no hazardous materials were involved in the incident that occurred about 7:30 a.m. about 20 miles east of Holbrook, Ariz., and about 45 miles from the New Mexico border. […]
Train Topic: Rail Industry
Parallel Systems shows off autonomous cars’ ability to move together in platoons
LOS ANGELES — Parallel Systems today for the first time demonstrated the platooning capability of the autonomous, battery-electric container cars that it is developing for short-haul intermodal service. The self-propelled cars lack traditional Janney railroad couplers. Instead, they can operate in platoons through bumper-to-bumper contact and coordinating tractive effort among all of the cars in […]
AAR: There’s no end in sight to closure of two Texas rail gateways to Mexico (updated)
WASHINGTON — As the shutdown of the Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, rail gateways enters its third day, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency has given no indication of when it will allow freight traffic to resume. Customs officials closed the gateways — the second and third busiest rail border crossings — at […]
From the Cab: A picture worth a thousand words
This is a picture worth a thousand words. For decades, artists and photographers awed us with images of mighty locomotives scorching the high iron with hundreds of passengers or thousands of tons of freight in tow. The sun shines brightly as the wind blows the hair of the fearless engineer, perched on the armrest. The […]
FTA directive seeks to address assaults on transit workers (updated)
WASHINGTON — The Federal Transit Administration has released a proposal requiring transit agencies to assess risk to their workers and identify strategies to improve worker safety. The proposed general directive, published today in the Federal Register, is open to comment through Feb. 20, 2024. “Assaults on transit workers are unacceptable,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said […]
Pittsburgh pursues grant to replace light rail equipment
PITTSBURGH — The city’s transit agency has applied for a $100 million federal grant as part of its process to replace its current fleet of light rail vehicles, the Pittsburgh Union Progress reports. Pittsburgh Regional Transit is looking to replace its entire 81-car fleet of 53 cars built by Siemens AG in the 1980s, with […]
News Wire Year in Review: Top international stories, part 2
A major accident in the world’s longest rail tunnel, and the continuing role of railways in the Ukraine war, comprise the second part of our look at the top international rail stories of 2023. Switzerland’s Gotthard Base Tunnel closed The derailment of a freight train in the world’s longest rail tunnel on Aug. 10 led […]
North Carolina awards $10.2 million for short line, port rail projects
RALEIGH, N.C. — The North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Rail Division has awarded $10.2 million for its share of 10 rail infrastructure projects at state short lines and ports. The state provides a 50% share of funding for the projects, which will improve 27 miles of track and 14 bridges, through its Freight Rail and […]
News Wire Year in Review: Top international stories, part 1
The year 2023 has seen major new rail lines enter service around the world, with new high-speed lines opening as far apart as Spain and Indonesia. High speed developments weren’t quite as positive in the United Kingdom, where part of the HS2 system was axed by the government. And new railway technology, in the form […]
News Wire year in review begins; Top 10 stories of 2023 coming soon
Today marks the beginning of our annual Trains News Wire year in review, which includes our countdown of the Top 10 news stories of the year, as selected by a vote of staff members and other key contributors. A total of 25 stories received at least one vote in this year’s balloting, including six that […]
Port of Long Beach rail project, I-5 bridge among Mega Grant awards
WASHINGTON — A rail-related project at the Port of Long Beach in Southern California and replacement of the Interstate 5 bridge between Portland, Ore., and Vancouver, Wash., are among projects to receive federal Mega Grant funding, according to announcement by federal legislators. Another such grant, for a new rail drawbridge at Stuart, Fla., has already […]
Structural failure of railcar led to CN derailment in U.S.-Canada tunnel, TSB says
RICHMOND HILL, Ontario — A structural failure in a bathtub gondola car led to the June 2019 derailment of a Canadian National train in the tunnel between Sarnia, Ontario, and Port Huron, Mich., the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said in a report released Monday, Dec. 18. A total of 45 cars and a distributed-power […]